Thompsons Road upgrade reaches new heights

Drivers in Melbourne’s south east are another step closer to better journeys on a duplicated Thompsons Road through Carrum and Cranbourne as the Victorian Government’s project forges ahead following several major construction milestones.

Construction crews working on the 10.7 kilometre Thompsons Road duplication have finalised a mammoth task that involved lifting 21 concrete beams into place, forming the new southern bridge.

The second bridge over the Cranbourne train line is a critical east-west connection for the growing south-east and the wider freight network.

The works program involved 31 team members working together day and night to successfully lift the 45 tonne reinforced bridge beams. To ensure the safety of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists as they travel through the site traffic controllers have registered more than 36,000 hours on the project to date.

Road and rail were separated for good at the Thompsons Road/Cranbourne rail line in June 2018 when the northern bridge was opened to traffic.

In another major boost for the local community, the Thompsons Road and Dandenong-Frankston Road intersection will be upgraded as part of the program and three years earlier than originally planned.

Signals will be installed at the intersection to tackle queueing at the roundabout which can stretch up to 1.5 kilometre along Dandenong-Frankston Road and more than 700 metres onto Thompsons Road during peak periods.

In the interim, newly installed line marking is making it easier for vehicles to turn right onto Dandenong-Frankston Road while improving traffic flow for the 60,000 vehicles which travel through the roundabout each day.

The project has made excellent progress over the last couple of months, with a number of local roads reopening to traffic on schedule including Lyndhurst Boulevard, Lesdon Avenue and Stoneleigh Road. The McCormicks Road intersection has also reopened with new traffic lights to better manage the flow of traffic in and out of Thompsons Roads.

The changes will provide better access for Sandhurst residents and those traveling to Sandhurst Golf Club.

The Thompsons Road Upgrade duplication works are on track to be completed by mid-2019, with the Dandenong-Frankston Road intersection expected to open with traffic signals in early 2020.